Wyoming toad

At the Detroit Zoo
The Detroit Zoo’s breeding program for the federally endangered Wyoming toad was No. 1 on the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) list of the Top 10 wildlife conservation success stories for 2007.  The annual list recognizes the efforts of AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums to protect wild animals and, in the Zoo’s case, bring them back from the brink of extinction. They can be seen at the award-winning National Amphibian Conservation Center – a leader in amphibian conservation and research – which houses a spectacular diversity of frogs, toads, salamanders, newts and caecilians.  When it opened, The Wall Street Journal dubbed it “Disneyland for toads”.

Description
Skin is covered in warts and head has a humped ridge. It comes in various shades of brown, a perfect camouflage against its predators.

Scientific name: Bufo baxteri
Continent: North America
Habitat: Only found in the floodplains of the Laramie Basin in Wyoming
Size: 2 inches long
Weight: 2-3 ounces
Diet: Ants, beetles and other invertebrates
Reproduction: Eggs are laid from mid-May to early June and the larvae usually metamorphose by mid-July.
Lifespan: 8-10 years
Conservation Status: IUCN currently lists them as Extinct in the Wild because no self-sustaining population exists in the wild. Although they do exist in the wild, everything in the wild came from captive-breeding programs.

FUN FACTS

The Wyoming toad relies on its prey to move in order to hunt because of its poor eyesight.